Valve



(No Maciel.)

E. W. LUCE.

` VALVE; No. 425,442. Patented Apr. l5, 1890.

. IN2/enh?! /yf 7% @m5 d@ `Wnessesz EDVIN WY. LUCE, OF BRADFORD, PENNSYLVANIA.

VALVE,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No'. 425,442, dated April 15, 1890.

` Application filed august l5, 1888. Serial No. 282,788. (No model.)

To all whom t may con-cern:

Be it known that l, EDWIN V. LUCE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Bradford, in the county of McKean and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Myrinvention relates to combined checkvalves and cocks, and has for its object to A improve and simplify their construction and thereby render them more effective in operation.

It consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, and afterward speciiically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a valve em bodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a detail View, on an enlarged scale, showing the lower end of the valve-stem and the inverted cupvalve in vertical section. Fig. 3 is a detail view, on the same scale as Fig. 2,showinglthe check slightly modified in form, removed from the valve, in side elevation, with a portion broken away; and Fig. i is a detail view, further enlarged, showing in section the manner of disposing of the angular gasket between the cage, diaphragm, and check.

Like numerals of reference mark the same parts in all the figures of the drawings, in which-M l is the main body of the valve, having inlet and outlet ports 2 and 3. The body 1 is formed with upward and downward projecting portions 4 and 5, the whole body being thus substantially erueiform. These projections are opposite each other, and are bored or cast hollow, as shown, forming a chamber, as usual in similar valves. The interior ext-remities of these projections are sorewsthreaded, as at 6 and 7, at the top and bottom, respectively. v

The chamber in the valve is divided by a perforated diaphragm S into an upper chainber 9 and a lower chamber 10, the lefthand wallof the upper chamber 9 being omitted to form an opening l1 to the exit end or outlet-port 3, and the right-hand wall of the lower chamber 10 being omitted to provide an opening 12 from the inlet-port 2, the remaining portions of the Walls of the chambers, as shown at 13 and 14, forming part of the diaphragm 8.

The upper end of the valve-chamber 9 is closed by a screw-plug 15, whose exterior threads engage with the interior threads 6. This plug is perforated and its perforation formed with an. interior thread 16 to engage the exterior thread 17 on the stem 1S of the valve 19, which valve is formed at its lower extremity in inverted cup form. The upper outer end of the screw-plug is threaded at 2O to receive a stuffing-box 21, through which the valve-stein 18 passes, the valve-stem being provided at its outer end with a hand-wheel 22 or other means for turning it. The valve-stem is bored fromy the interior of the cup upward, as at 23, to receive the stem 24 of the check 25, the bore 23 being of a diameter slightly greater than that of the stem 2l, to allow the stem to pass easily into and out of it, and the stem is provided with longitudinal grooves 2G. The check 25 is of inverted hemispherieal form, the central portion of its bottom being cut away, as at 27, so as to form an annular downwardproj ecting flange 2S, and from the check inside of this flange three or more guideprongs 29 pass downward. The top of the check is grooved, as at. 30, some of such grooves communicating with and forming continuations of the grooves 2G in the stem.

The lower end of chamber 10 is closed by a screw-plug 31,whose exterior threads engage with the interior threads 7, and which is provided with a drainageplug 32. The upper end of this plug 31 is rabbeted or formed with an angular recess, as at 33, and no part of this plug is of a diameter greater than that of the screw-threaded opening into which it fits.

Around the perforation in the diaphragm hereinbefore referred to the diaphragm forms an inward=projeoting annular flange 34.4, the top surface of which forms the seat for the valve 19, and from the wall 14 (see Fig. 4)

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jecting flange 41, forming an annular angular recess or rabbet 42. In this recess rests a ring or gasket 43 of soft metal of angulaiform, whose angular recess embraces the inner and lower faces of the flange 34 of the diaphragm before mentioned. The flange v35 comes down outside of this gasket, thus finishing the chamber in which the gasket is confined, whereby it is preserved from contact with the liquid or fluid passing through the Valve and held Aagainst mashing out of shape. The flange 28 of the check 25 has its seat on the top edge of this gasket 43.

The operation of my valve may be described as follows, viz: The valve 19 being closed down upon its seat 34, and it being desired to open the valve, the stem and valve are turned by means of the hand-wheel 22, thus raising them to a position similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1, the result of which will be thatthe opening in the diaphragm between the upper and lower chambers 9 and l() will be closed only by the check 25, which, on account of the free movement of its stem 24 in the bore 23 of the valve-stem 18, would not necessarily be carried up with the valve. The pressure of the liquid or fluid coming through the opening 12 will, however, raise the check off its seat, thus giving free communication from chamber 10 to chamber 9 by means of opening 8 in the diaphragm, and from chamber 9 to the outlet-port 3 through opening 11 for the passage of the liquid or fluid. As soon asthe pressure of the liquid or fluid ceases or is reversed the check 25, being no longer held up by pressure from below, (or being operated upon by pressure from above in the case of reversah) will drop to its seat, thus closing the opening 8. The raising of the check is greatly facilitated by the provision of the grooves in vits stem and those in its top curved surface, for the reason that these grooves act as relief-outlets, through which any liquid or fluid in the cup-valve or the bore in its stem will pass freely downward and not remain above the check to act as a cushion to retard or prevent its rising. To close the valve, it is only necessary to screw thevalve down.

In the operation of the valve the check is brought down untih its flange 28, impinging upon the soft-metal gasket 43, forms a tight close joint. The provision of this flange 28 on the check (by cutting out the bottom of the check at 27) is important, inasmuch as it prevents the hard metal. of the check from coming in contact with the hard metal of the flange 41 of the cage 37, which contact would be fatal to the operation of the valve. The flange 28 maybe tightly forced upon thegasket, for the reason that the gasket is confined closely in a chamber, as before stated. The giving of an angular shape in section to the gasket 43 is also important, for the reason that its horizontal portion forms a packing between the flange 34 and the top ring 40 of the cage 37, while the gasket 39 forms a packing between the lower ring 38 and the screw-plug 31. The gasket 39 is also inclosed in a chamber to preserve it to a very great extent from contact with the liquid or fluid passing through the valve and to prevent its spreading, such chamber being formed by the screw-plug 31, the lower ring of the cage, and the walls of chamber 10.

It is important to the continued perfect action of the valve that the screw-plug 31 be made, as before stated, with no portion of it of a diameter greater than the opening into the chamber, for the reason that if Ait were formed with a flange to screw up against the bottom of the walls of chamber 10 or anyother positive stop it would be impossible to properly throw it up aft-er the gaskets had become worn or pressed to an appreciable extent, thereby preventing the formation of tight close joints between the various parts affected by the plug, particularly the top and bottom 1 rings of the cage and the adjacent hard-metal parts. y

The provision of soft-metal seats or. packing in valves is conceded to be of great advantage; but they have to some extent been discarded, owing to the objections overcome by this invention by confining the gaskets in the chambers, as before set forth. These objections are that soft metal when not so inclosed will soon be spread or mashed out of operative shape, and when exposed to the liquids or fluids passing through the valve will soon waste away by oxidation. Either of these objectionable results is well-nigh im- IOO possible with my improved construction of valve. y

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a combined check-valve and cock, the combination of the walls 13 and 14, forming parts of the diaphragm, having inward-projecting flange 34 and downward-projecting flange 35, the ring 40, having upward-proj ecting flange 41, these parts forming a chamber to inclose and .confine the soft-metal gasket 43 with said gasket, and the check 25, having its seat on the top of said gasket, as set forth.

2. In a combined check-valve and cock, the combination of the body of the valve, the screw-plug 31, having no diameter greater than its threaded portion and provided with angular recess 33, the cage 37, having lower ring 38 and rabbeted upper ring 40, the walls 13 and 14, having flanges 34 and 35, the gasket 39 between the plug and ring 38, and the angular gasket 43, inclosed between the ring 40 and said wall-flanges, its upper edge forming a packing and seat, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDNVIN IV. LUCE.

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